Named
by lapizlazulijavi
Summary: Levi/Petra. The brightness of those eyes brought so many feelings to the young boy, and before he could catch himself his mouth had joined all those emotions in one single word. (Reincarnation fic)
1. Chapter 1

_Blood…_

_There were droplets of blood flying towards his face. In any other situation he would have reached for his napkin in order to cleanse himself from the crimson liquid. But this was not the time to indulge himself on such a trivial desire._

_No, the desire that now dictated each swing of his fists had been building for too long. And now it was burning within his lungs, painting his vision with red._

_The brat did not protest, not even when the sound of cracking bone began to resonate within the stone walls of the dungeon. Icy blue eyes never showing any sign of surrender._

_But he didn't care. He knew that she wasn't going to give up easily. He had witnessed her stubbornness plenty of times._

_The only thing he was seeking from her was a small retribution. Even if it wasn't even a fraction of the pain that she had inflicted, he wasn't going to let her escape his fury._

_Tomorrow she would heal her wounds with that annoying ability of hers. She would once again refuse to answer question and give her interrogators the same stoic expression she was displaying now, she would be once again thrown away in her cell and he would sneak in during the night to dismiss the guards in charge, then he would….._

_"Mph.."The small sound broke his concentration_

_She couldn't have broken from this. Not after showing how much she was going to endure in order to complete her still unknown objectives._

_His frown deepened, one bloodied hand reaching for her now plastered hair and pulling roughly at the previously blonde locks._

_He couldn't help but widen his eyes slightly when he recognized the shape of a smile on the girl's split lips._

_He felt the rage rising up his throat, demanding him to shout whatever profanity he could muster._

_Instead he leaned in towards her face_,_ his rage controlled but still present on his face and voice as he practically breathed his question on her face._

_"What's so damm funny?"_

_Instead of fading, her grin became wider, and he was sure his ears recognized a giggle coming from her. In response his grip on her hair became tighter his face now only centimeters away from her._

_And then, just as he breathed in to speak again, a hoarse sound came from the monster's mouth, and he could barely distinguish the words, but as soon as he did his vision turned red._

_"No matter how many times you call her, she's not coming back"_

_All of a sudden, his hands found her throat, grasping the pale skin tightly as he barely restrained himself from strangling her._

_His jaw felt impossibly tight as his forehead found hers, his eyes blazing with fury as he spoke again._

_"What the fuck are you talking about?" the curse word falling from his mouth like a low growl._

_Another moment of silence passed on by. She seemed to be trying to regain her breath before making another statement._

_He braced himself to whatever insult was going to come out of the girls mouth, but nothing could prepare him for the next mockery that came._

_"Didn't you notice? You've been calling her name the entire time"_

The young boy woke up with a start. Withe cotton sheets drenched in sweat. Small eyes flinching as they ajusted to the bright morning sky.

A loud groan came of his mouth, he was about to mutter a low curse at the brightness when another voice interrupted him.

"Young Master" an eldery woman appeared in front of his face.

"Right, right…" the kid said while rubbing his eyes.

…..

The boy took his time while bathing, still feeling uneasy about the strange rage he had woken up with. On all his short life, he couldn't remember feeling this angry.

The hot water did well in calming his mood; meanwhile the maids took care of taking out his sleeping clothes.

He let the warm water soothe his tense muscles while his ears entertained themselves on the chattering that came from the other side of the bathroom door.

"So the Master should return from London in a couple of days" a high pitched voice started

"Yes" another, more mature sounding, sighed, "He wants to be there at the young master Levi's birthday"

The kid's eyes snapped open at that last sentence. Of course...

"Bothersome..." he sighed before relaxing again.

"Young Master?" a knock "Your clothes are ready". He gave another annoyed sigh.

...

Even with his parents out and without his teacher to bother him, he still thought that the Mansion he shared with his parents at the countryside was way too noisy for him. His bedroom seemed to be the only silent sanctuary available, with only the occasional chatter from the maids interrupting his thoughts.

However, this time the interruption was pretty different. And it nearly made the kid jump in his bed.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Well, that was something he didn't hear every day, that was for sure. And he had listened to the maids for long enough to know that those screams weren't caused by a spider.

Quickly, he got out of bed, curiosity getting the better of him. He slowly opened the door, cautious before the possibility of finding a thief in his home.

Another scream pierced through that hallway. Leaving the safety of his bedroom, he took sure but slow steps towards the source of the noise; it seemed to come from the living room. As he made his way, more pained noises met his ears, uneasiness creeping through his chest.

One desperate maid on the other side came nearly running over him. Levi managed to doge the woman, only to give a small look inside the living room.

It seemed that a large group had gathered near the fireplace, maids chattering while covering their mouths with their hands. One large built man that he recognized as one of the horse handlers rose from the floor, clearly caring a person on his arms. Stepping further, Levi recognized the frail form of one of his mother's personal maids.

He rarely exchanged looks with the women in charge of his mother's whims. They carried perfumes, soaps and other weird concoctions that made them stink. Those smells, however pleasant they were by separated, were unbearable for Levi's nostrils when combined.

This time, however, Levi didn't felt the beginnings of nausea when he walked closer, silently following the man as he carried the maid out of the living room.

Then another scent assaulted him, _manure_. They were near the stables, he hadn't even realized they were outside the house; he just followed the pair as they made their way towards a small cottage.

"Ugh…" the foul smell forced him to whimper in disgust. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder stopping him dead on his tracks. Levi felt a small pang of anger when he realized he wasn't following the two people anymore, something inside him as telling him just to keep walking, but the grasp on his arm was tight.

"What?!" he turned around and asked a bit louder than usual. The maid nearly flinched at his rash tone, but kept her composure.

"Young Master", she spoke with a clam tone. "You don't want to see this". The woman tugged gently at the boy's shoulders.

Levi would have listened to the older woman if his curiosity wasn't tugging harder at his brain. His gaze went back to the couple, whom had entered the cottage.

"What's going on?" he asked a bit more calmly

The old woman lifted her eyes and Levi noticed that she was watching the small wooden structure. Her gaze remained still for a while, as if she was pondering what answer to give him.

After a long moment, her gaze fell back on the boy.

"I'll escort you back to your room", the elder tugged at his shoulder gently, but Levi kept firm on his spot, something inside him keeping him glued to the ground.

"I-I" he was lost for words. For the first time, this stubborn, persistent and rude five year old could not talk back coherently. He wanted to say something, desperately so, but he couldn't process the thoughts that were running wild inside his infant brain. This feelings felt foreign yet his own.

His vision was becoming blurry, and before he knew it, he was walking blindly away from the wooden structure and back into the mansion.

…..

He didn't know how many hours he spent near the window if his bedroom, his eyes fixated on the small wooden house next to the stables. In a couple of occasions, he saw people entering the small cottage, some of them carrying sheets.

During that time, his ears barely caught the concerned whispers of the maids that came by his rooms. All of them sounded confused at his interest on the current events.

All of a sudden one motion snapped Levi out of his trance. The same man that had carried the maid into the cottage was now running out of it. The boy couldn't distinguish the adult's expression, but he could notice the agitated way he moved.

Then he was assaulted by another strange feeling, something different than childish curiosity tugged at his chest and demanded him to return to that rusty place.

Before the maids could catch him, or even he could figure out what he was doing, he was running as fast as his small body would allow him.

Making it out of the mansion was easy enough, but as soon as he got about fifty meters from the stables, a new sound reached his ears.

Levi's almost frantic race slowed down to a cautious walk, the high pitched noise was making him uncomfortable yet anxious at the same time.

He finally made it to the entrance, his lungs burning both from the effort and the unknown euphoria that seemed to invade his brain.

One glance inside the small house and he was able to distinguish the small frame of his mother's maid lying on the floor, a pool of dirtied sheets below her and making an improvised bed.

But the next image Levi managed to distinguish was sure to remain burned on his mind. In the arms of the maid a small bundle seemed to be struggling to get out. A bright patch of ginger hair directed his attention towards the infant.

"Young master…" a gentle whisper broke the trance that the baby's image had put Levi into. "You can come closer".

Then Levi felt something he couldn't remember feeling before. He felt a slight burning on his cheeks. However, before he could dwell in that strange fact, he was right next to the improvised bedding. The baby was still struggling against its mother's arms, making annoyed sounds.

"Shush there, little one"

The baby seemed to calm down a little, finally quieting. Then a pair of bright amber eyes opened. The brightness of those eyes brought so many feelings to the young boy, some of them completely unknown. He could distinguish relief, nervousness and, most prominently, a weird happiness he could not remember feeling.

One of his hands reached towards the baby's head, his fingers suddenly aching to touch the orange strands, and as soon as his fingertips made contact, he felt his heart swell inside his chest, a warm tingle spreading within him.

Then, before he could stop himself, his lisp started to move, uttering a single word.

"Petra"

A bubbly giggle broke through the silence of the room, and then the new mom saw her master with the biggest smile she had ever seen on him. And when did he noticed that it was a girl?

"She seems to like it"

"Uh.."

"The name, young master. It shall be Petra then" She tucked the newborn closer to her body, Levi's fingers now tracing the curve of her cheek. He didn't knew why he said that word out loud, hell, he didn't even know that it was a name for a girl, but as he said it again, it seemed even more fitting for the little girl.

Then, with the softest tone he had ever used in his life, he spoke again.

"Nice to meet you"


	2. Chapter 2: Personal Quirk

Note: This is set in the 1880's; this is when indoor plumbing with water tanks and use of shampoo became more common.

Chapter 2: Personal Quirk

_Two years later_

Before Petra's birth, Levi only had stepped outside the mansion when his parents dragged him along for some irritatingly loud social reunion. Those events were filled with smiling faces that would offer promises of prosperity to his parents and make ridiculous predictions of the boy's future success as an adult. Those were irritating as hell.

And there was the kid's personal issue with cleanliness. One of his maids once told him that he was weird "because most boys wouldn't go into the bath themselves". He found that nonsensical. He had cringed every time he got on his shoes or when found the scents of the perfumes of his mother's vain friends sticking to his skin.

That unusual quirk of him remained intact, even when now he had a reason to occasionally step outside on his own.

Petra was still small, even for a two year old, but that didn't stop her from being remarkably energetic, especially since she started to use her wobbly legs in a vain attempt to keep up with Levi.

When questioned by his parents about his sudden interest on the maid's daughter, Levi just said that there weren't any other children in the state. It was technically true, but in all honesty, not even Levi could understand why he found himself entranced with the toddler's antics.

There were times when he just spent hours watching the small girl play with a small wooden horse her father had made for her. In one occasion he actually brought her to his room, in which she amused herself with the expensive cushions of her master's bed. Levi just kneeled at the edge of his oversized bed and watched the infant literally swim though the ocean of pillows.

Now Petra was fixated with a patch of daisies that grew near the front entrance. She drove head first into the flowers, petals flying into the air as she seemed to submerge her small face and girly laughs filling Levi's ears as he watched from two feet away, not wanting to get dirty.

"You're loud" he thought out loud, not caring if he was heard. The toddler remained absorbed in her own activities. Levi was certainly not entirely pleased with the mess Petra was doing with the flowers and a part of him wanted to run the very second she tried to approach him covered in grass and dirt, but he just couldn't bring himself to leave her alone, even if he could not name the feeling that kept him glued to her side.

Eventually Petra got up and ran back to Levi, a handful of nearly destroyed flowers with her. But Levi's attention was somewhere else. The little girl's hair was crowned by some stray petals and her ginger locks were now glued together by mud and grass.

The boy gulped once before reaching for the girl's arm and dragged her inside the house.

She hadn't changed his habits; instead he made her part of them

….

Despite being a frequent user, Levi wasn't an expert when it came to operate a bathtub, and he had seen some of the newer maids struggle with it.

Once the water was ready, he had to struggle to get Petra out of her dirtied summer dress. He gave Petra one of his bath clothes and almost laughed at the sight of the oversized cloth swallowing the small girl.

Then the real battle came, getting her in the water. She never protested vocally or screamed, in fact she giggled gleefully once Levi lifted her from the ground, but at the same time she was kicking wildly in the air, nearly making them fall.

He nearly ended up throwing her over the edge of the bathtub, water splashing outside and some of the fabric of the bathrobe hanging from the side as a result.

"Come on, stay still" he mumbled as he tried to comb the wet strands with his fingers, which proved to be a lot harder than he expected. Petra was more focused on making waves and was marveled by the space of the bathtub.

"Petra!" he nearly shouted. Then the toddler's head turned back to him, posture rigid and expression completely serious. What surprised him the most about her sudden change of attitude was how _natural_ she looked with that behavior, almost as normal as her usual energetic self.

"Now that's more like it" he approved while he rolled up his sleeves.

As minutes passed by, the water became filled with foam as Levi poured shampoo in the girl's hair. He had previously sneaked into his mother's bathroom and took one of her bottles. Soon the room was inundated with the scent of jasmines.

Levi's fingers found some stray petals in Petra's ginger strands and brushed them away, the action summoning a sense of déjà vu in the boy's mind. He thought of his fingers threading though reddish hairs, brushing away something filthier than mud of leaves. The scent of jasmine replaced with a weird, metallic smell…

Petra's giggles brought him back to his current task, the motion of his fingers against her scalp tickling her. Levi was nearly done with his self-imposed task when Petra started moving again, this time tugging at his arms.

"It is fine, we're nearly done", the toddler was not nearly strong enough to pull Levi closer to her.

Once Levi finished washing away the last traces of dirt, he attempted to lift her from the water, only to find out that his now wet bathing clothes had made her a lot heavier.

She seemed to be more cooperative this time around, grasping his shoulders for leverage. Once Levi had a good grasp on her small body, he carried her out of the bathtub and set her on her feet.

Then it happened….

Levi felt something wet touching his face, but it wasn't hair. It was warm and he could feel a giggle vibrating against his skin, but that wasn't what unsettled him. The moment he recognized the outline of a mouth against his cheek, an echo began to resonate in his ears.

"_Good night, Corporal"_

Levi's head scanned his surroundings, trying to find the source of the noise, but there was nobody there except for him and a toddler who could barely pronounce his name.

Until the door opened….

….

Levi was locked in his room; he could listen to his parents arguing about what punishment would suit the alleged robbery of his mother's shampoo, and he could care less. He had done far more to irritate his progenitors by solely opening his rude mouth.

But then he noticed a slight change in the subject of their conversation.

"…now he's dragging that girl around like she's his doll or something"

Levi felt his stomach grow cold at the word "girl". He knew that his parents wouldn't punish Petra; she wasn't aware of what they were doing, but he still was worried.

"…he has been rejecting society for way too long and now he's treating a servant's daughter as she were his family, we can't allow this to continue" the deep voice of his father echoed in his ears.

"You have said that many times, and yet he keeps that attitude" his mother countered and Levi bit back a chuckle.

"I thought that it was just a childish phase, but it can't be normal that a high society man it's now cleaning a commoner. It's clear that this has escaped our capabilities as parents".

Levi's eyebrows peaked at that last tired, unexpectedly sincere remark.

An uncomfortable silence followed. It was clear to Levi that not even his mother expected that confession of failure from her husband, since she didn't answer.

"I" the father breathed, "I have to write a few letters"

…

Levi remained on his bed, arms around his knees. He was waiting for his father to appear and tell him that it was time to leave, and the unwanted anticipation made his stomach twist in anger.

It had been three weeks since he was caught with a soaking Petra inside his bathroom, and five days since his father had told him that he was going to assist to a boarding school in London. His nose crunched in disgust every time he thought of the capital. Rats, flies and other foul creatures came to mind whenever he remembered the few times he had visited that dreadful city.

But he also felt a tingling sadness at the thought of leaving the mansion.

Then the knock came.

Levi flinched and squeezed his eyes tightly, not wanting this moment to come, but instead of his father's deep baritone, a high pitched squeal reached his ears.

"Levi!"

The boy's eyes snapped open to find a small girl peaking in, and a much taller woman behind her.

"Petra" he breathed. The girl seemed to take it as an invitation, since she raced inside as he said her name, her mother following closely.

"I thought you might want to say goodbye" the maid said, but Levi wasn't paying much attention to the adult woman; his eyes were fixated on the small toddler that was now trying to climb up his bed. Unable to stop himself, he helped her up.

"Levi…" Petra's small arms reached around Levi's neck and held tightly. Her hair no longer smelled like jasmine, yet her scent was still relaxing.

"Petra" her mother called, the little girl turning her head around without letting go. "Don't bother the young mas-"

"No" Levi cut her out. One of his arms curled around the girl's small body, the other reached her hair.


	3. Chapter 3 : Offense and Defense

**Chapter 3: Offense and Defense **

_"Well, well, if isn't the mini-corporal's secretary?" _

_It wasn't the first time she heard that insult, neither the first time it came accompanied by the stench of alcohol. _

_Her head turned around to meet the unwanted attention of a large built man, easily twice her size. He seemed like it had been weeks since he last took a bath and the red shades of his face told her that he had spent way too much time indulging himself in rum._

_She just sighed tiredly and looked away, hoping that her superiors would finish their business soon. After that they would leave this messy headquarters and go back to the tight, yet natural order of the barracks they called home. _

_"Hey bitch!" she flinched at the offensive remark but remained immobile against the wall. She kept reminding herself that this man didn't deserve her attention, sober or not. _

_She could hear some whispering near her, and it wasn't from sober men. _

_"Well, it seems like Erwin's pawn isn't very talkative" one of them said, his footsteps getting closer to her. Her eyes remained closed. "Count til' 10" she had been told, but right now it seemed that not even by counting until 1000 she would be able to contain herself from drawing her blades. _

_"Maybe she's waiting for her Corporal to take her on a walk. Right, you survey bitch?"_

_Her eyes snapped open at the offensive use of the name that she and her comrades wore with pride. But they wouldn't understand, they would never truly feel the thrill of the chase, the dread of being in enemy territory, or the overwhelming relief of making it back in one piece. _

_She was a soldier, they weren't, and she would remain acting like a soldier. _

_Her thoughts were cut out when she felt a big arm reaching her shoulder. Her eyes snapped open and met a drunken smile._

_"Hey sweetheart" she felt her stomach grow cold at the pretended sweetness the man used. "Maybe you're so unhappy because those rigid idiots are not giving you the attention you deserve"_

_She nearly laughed at that remark. The mere thought that her superiors didn't care for her almost seemed funny. She knew that she was a valuable comrade for them and that they would never treat her with the false chivalry that this man was trying to force on her right now._

_"Whatever attention I get from them is certainly more pleasant than yours", she spoke with an icy tone, her eyes finally meeting a completely unfocused gaze._

_The man seemed to recoil for a moment and she felt a surge of womanly pride coursing through her. However, almost as quick, a hand reached for her shoulder, violently tugging at her jacket._

_She didn't flinch though, it wasn't the first time that men like this tried to get into her bad side in this manner._

_"What?!" she growled at him, the grip on her became tighter and the man's face now showed a red rage. _

_"It seems like the scum from the Survey Corps needs to learn how to address those who are better than them"_

_Her frown deepened. Was he serious? She wasn't exactly arrogant about her position, but the fact that this man considered himself superior to her because of his insignia, an insignia she didn't respect at all, nearly made her snap. _

_One of her hands went to the arm that had reached for her, fingers curling around the military jacket. Her gaze meets that of her attacker's, golden eyes sparkling with rage._

_"Do you really want to know who the superior here is?" her voice was far from the sweet tone she used when addressing her comrades._

_"Huh?" the drunken soldier barely had time to react before her punch connected solidly with his jaw._

"Petra, sweetie?" the gentle voice of her mother made her stir from her sleep.

"That's right kiddo, get up, the masters have a guest today"

…..

In any normal day Petra would have helped with the laundry while her mother attended the master's wife, but today both were assigned to help with the preparations for dinner. Today the family was getting the visit of a business partner, and the head of the household demanded a reception fitting for a noble.

But he wasn't the only visitor, today was when the master's son would return home after finishing his last year studying in London.

After realizing she could read, Levi had always brought her books from the school years he had finished, and she quickly became an avid reader, sometimes surprising her superiors when she kindly corrected them on math or the spelling or certain words.

Sometime she even surprised the guests that the family occasionally invited over to discuss business agreements. One guest even said that, with the right attire, Petra could be easily mistaken for a high born lady, much to her embarrassment.

She never understood why everyone found her gentle manners and sweet disposition so uncommon. It was the most natural way for her to act.

She had found some listening ears in Levi, despite she was always advice to not to bother the young master. In one of the conversations she shared with Levi before her departed for his final year, he had simply told her: "It's because it's too obvious that you're not pretending to be nice. Most people act nicely because they want to get something from the other. But you don't want anything, and you made it dam evident. You should stop doing so".

In all the years talking with her master on the holidays, she had learned that he wasn't the smoothest of talkers, and despite the fact she could see his good will, she had to admit he could restrain his usage of curses.

Now it was time to prepare the manor for this special occasion, since it was the first time that Levi would be at the house at the same time that one of his parents' guests. Petra felt slightly uncomfortable at the prospect of Levi having a conversation with one of his father's business partners. She hadn't hit puberty yet and she already knew this wasn't a bright idea.

But she didn't let that thought distract her as she carried plates across the house, her black maid dress floating through the air as she moved with precise elegance.

…..

The guest was the first one to arrive. The sun was already disappearing in the horizon by the time the carriage arrived. Petra, who had finished helping with the preparations for dinner, watched from a window in the second floor as an old couple descended. The carriage driver remained in his vehicle while the couple walked towards the house.

She sighed with sadness as she walked towards the entrance lobby. She wanted to receive Levi first, to hear him ask her if she had kept herself clean like he requested every time he departed for the capital, and then he would pat her freshly washed hair and finish with a relieved "good".

But now she had orders.

…

It had been a couple of hours since the guests arrived and, after a friendly chatter in the living room, Petra and her mother were instructed to remain near the main entrance and wait for Levi's arrival.

Petra spent several moments making sure that her maid dress didn't have any wrinkles on it, constantly fixing her white apron and scanning her clothes for any particle of dust that she might have missed.

An airy giggle broke her concentration; she looked up towards the source of the noise only to see her mother looking at her with an amused face. Petra felt her face brighten up and shifted her gaze away in embarrassment.

"Ah? Why that shy face, sweetie? I'm sure Master Levi will be happy to see you kept his advice"

Petra remained silent. She listened to her mother's sigh before continuing

"Tell me Petra, do you want to remain by Master Levi's side?"

Petra looked up; she was confused by that question.

"I…I want to keep serving him as long as I can, why?"

"What if you start seeing him under another light?"

That question made her gasp "What?" she breathed

Her mother sighed and reached down to brush a stray lock behind her ear. Petra noticed a sad look on her eyes as her face got closer.

"Mom" Petra whispered, "I don't understand"

"Of course you don't sweetie" a gentle hand reached down and went to pat Petra's head "But one day you will and I'm afraid it'll cause you pain. You'll have to learn your place in his life"

Petra didn't know what to think about her mother's words. Did she mean that Levi would hurt her in some way in the future? That didn't make any sense! And she already knew what place she occupied on her master's life. She was the one who would talk to him when he was alone, she was the one who listened to his complaints about his father's greedy business partners and she would pour him tea at breakfast….

"Excuse me?" a voice near the pair seemed to call from the bottom of the lobby. Petra looked behind her and saw one of the older maids near the hallway that lead to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, but we need a pair of extra hands in the kitchen"

…..

Initially, Petra had protested against leaving the entrance hall, but her mother said that she didn't want to leave her alone in the empty hall, so the girl had no other option.

When she arrived at the kitchen, she changed her apron in order to have a clean one by the time she had to receive Levi. But as she put on the white cloth on her she noticed movement near the door that lead to the outside.

"C'mon fellas! Just one more!" A thick Scottish accent caught Petra's attention; when she got closer, she noticed two of the stable helpers struggling to keep a strange man outside the kitchen. Making a small examination, Petra recognized the carriage driver she had seen earlier. His face looked bright red, his eyes seemed unfocused and his movements told the twelve year old that he wasn't exactly in top shape, but he still put an impressive resistance against the two smaller men.

"Ye're such pansies, one mor' drink won't kill ye!" The man struggled in order to not get himself dragged out and waved a bottle of wine in the air, as he was trying to his restrainers without much success.

"Petra?" the girl turned her attention away from the struggle "I need you to …."

_Crash! _

Petra's gaze rushed back to the exit door, only to see her vision covered in red and felt a cold, liquid substance covering her face. By the time she had processed what was going on, an empty bottle crashed near her feet.

She quickly covered her eyes as the burn of alcohol began to blur her vision with pain. A loud squeal erupted from her throat and resonated within the room, making everyone else stop.

A long moment passed in near complete silence; the only sound being Petra's wails as she tried to ease the stinging sensation she felt on her eyes.

"Petra!" "Sweetie!" she could hear the desperate voices of the other employees that were in the kitchen with her. She could also feel gentle hands wiping the red liquid out of her face.

As the burning subsided, Petra opened her eyes. The first sight that greeted her was that of the worried face of the maid that had brought her there, joined by the rest of the kitchen staff who had stopped their activities in order to aid her.

"Are you okay sweetheart?"

Petra nodded; the burn in her eyes now only a slight stinging sensation. But then she noticed that the people looking at her had a look of uneasiness on their faces.

Petra thought that it was because they were worried about her, but when their expressions remained that way she started worrying.

Just when she was about to ask, a deep, male laughter resonated in the room, all the people in front of the girl turned their heads around. Then Petra could see the same man from before, face red, body crouched on the floor and holding his stomach with his hands.

"Oh good lord" she heard somebody whisper. Then she took a look at herself.

The once white apron had now bright red stains all over it, and she could feel the dampness of the wine on her black dress and her hair. Now she would have to bath herself all over again and find some clean clothes. That would take…..two hours, _maybe?_

The urge to cry was back. She wouldn't be able to be at the entrance lobby by the time Levi came up. She wouldn't be able to say "welcome" to him as he returned from school year.

"You god dammed pig!" she heard one of the cookers say "It's a miracle she doesn't have glass shards on her eyes"

More angry shouts reached Petra's ears, but her body didn't seem to mind them. She just walked slowly towards the spot where the carriage driver now sat on the floor laughing.

Neither the man nor the employees noticed the short girl walking towards the drunk, but all sound ceased when she was right in front of him, still dripping with the red liquor.

Then all the workers gasped in unison as Petra raised her fist and, with a speed that was unnatural for a girl of her age and manners, she punched the man's nose with all her strength, the crack of bone resonating in the kitchen.


	4. Thou shall not make ill of her name

**Chapter 4: Thou shall not make ill of her name**

"How long?" he asked the driver while feeling bored out of his mind

"Just about an hour, luckily there's full moon tonight so visibility shouldn't be a problem, young master", the old man finished with that honorific that Levi always found so foreign despite being addressed with it during his entire life. It felt like he was being overestimated by those who were around him.

But that title felt even stranger to him when Petra used it, and the fact that he was going to hear her call him "master" when he arrived, and he knew that she would be waiting for him in the entrance lobby, made him feel uneasy. He didn't enjoy having her lowering herself of all people.

Every time he returned home from the loud and stinking atmosphere of London, he had sought out her company. He wasn't sure why he was sharing his books with her or why did he insisted to practice fencing with her during his vacation, a petition that was ultimately futile as even the girl's parents were set against the idea. He still taught her how to pose with a practice foil, though.

Levi had always thought that he wasn't worthy of the child's admiration, but the more he thought about it, he just couldn't figure out why.

Every time he had put her up to speed on his experiences in London, he never lied about anything. She had known about his fights against teenagers, and sometimes adults, twice his size and how many times he had been grounded because of his foul language. However, he did not regret any of those actions and he never considered himself a worse person because of them.

However, he just did not could stand that Petra looked him with so much respect. Every time her amber eyes lightened up when he gave her books of taught her how to hold a foil, he felt his stomach sinking. It was a strange sensation of guilt and sadness that only grew bigger as they became older.

Now, at seventeen, he had finished his last year at boarding school but he knew that he wasn't going to be free of the capital for very long. During his talks with his father the old man had hinted plans of sending him off to trading company in London as an apprentice. "England has become too small" were his words. He had even purchased a small floor for him in the city.

The thought of having to deal with greedy merchants and corrupt sail officers in a daily basis made him ill.

But it also made him think about how Petra would deal with him away from home permanently. Levi had noticed how the little girl would double her pace in the laundry only to get some extra time to speak to him, despite the constant warnings that she got from her parents about "disturbing the young master".

He pondered what future her parents had planned out for her. She was born in a cottage next to a stable and her father had pretty much nothing but the clothes on his back. At the very least Petra would stay in the manor and her parents would search in the neighboring households for a husband…

He felt his stomach tighten at that thought, although he couldn't identify the acidic feeling that invaded him later.

"We're near!"

…..

Levi as surprised to find only Petra's mother waiting for him, but she seemed to understand his expression, since the first thing he heard from the woman was "she was needed in the kitchen" He nodded and thanked her before heading for the kitchen.

However, as he made his way, he heard a multitude of voices coming from the kitchen. It sounded agitated and at first he assumed it was because his parents had overwhelmed the staff once again in their efforts to impress their business partners. However as he got closer the yelling became more desperate.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

"You bastard!"

Levi quickened his pace when he heard that. He had seen the employees of the boarding school solving disagreements through brute force and, despite the efforts of the higher ups to cover it, he was well aware that it sometimes ended in the death of some poor bystander. That been said, he had never seen anything like it among the friendly employees that worked at his home.

"Leave her alone!"

"She's just a child" a desperate voice cut in

Levi gasped at that last stamen. His eyes widened as his feet began to race. All thoughts disappeared from his head except one.

_No….no…..not her_

He opened the door in a hurry and the first thing he saw confused him. A group of frightened maids were gathered in a corner covering the mouths in horror, while not too far from them a group of men struggled to lift a strange person from the ground, but he wasn't unconscious. Levi could notice an intense rage in his eyes and a trail of blood ran down his face.

However, when Levi's vision met the floor, it was his turn to have his face filled with rage.

Bellow the stranger and with her neck trapped between two large hands, a small girl whose hair, face and dress were stained with red laid on the floor.

_No…no…..not her…**not again**_

He didn't know what demon possessed him, but as soon as he recognized Petra´s fragile form bellow the unknown man, he ran towards them, fist tight and fast.

**"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"**

Before the drunken man could look back at him, Levi's punch had already collided against his jaw with enough force to lift him from the ground, falling loudly next to the girl he was trying to suffocate moments before.

Levi only gave Petra a pare glance to make sure she was breathing; once he heard her gasping, he resumed beating the man who had left her like this.

As soon as the next hit landed on its mark, the teenager began to hear the voices of the employees. Some were begging him to stop and others were pleading for someone to check upon Petra, whom he could hear coughing next to him

_"You know that killing me won't bring her back, right?" _a third voice began echoing in his mind, it sounded feminine, yet raspy. But instead of stopping him, it only made him angrier, his fist repeatedly hitting the man's face.

All of a sudden he felt several arms pulling him away. He felt his lungs burning with effort and his vision blurred by fury.

_"I don't know why you cared" _the strange voice echoed in his mind _"She was weak"_

A faint cough snapped him out of his angered trance, taking a look to his left he could see Petra sitting up, a maid supporting her small frame as she struggled to obtain air.

Levi felt the adrenaline wear off from his system and nearly became limp after letting out a long sigh of relief as the employees dragged him away, the strange man unconscious.

The voice that had been taunting him had disappeared from his mind and, after a couple of minutes, from his memory as well.

…..

Despite the incident with the carriage river, who ended up being taken by the police due to his behavior, Levi's parents could seal a deal with their guest. Thankfully the blood in his hands and clothes provided him an excuse to not to attend dinner with them. But he didn't wash them right away.

He spent most of the night in the small house that Petra and her parents shared near the borders of the property. The girl had both her neck and eyes checked but thankfully neither the cocking nor the wine had made permanent damage.

Petra now laid sleep on her bed as Levi watched over her. By some reason, he considered her _another _reason for not going to London. Maybe if he managed to take some of the employees to live with him in the capital would help. And his parents wouldn't object to the idea of having people they already trusted instead of hiring new people they barely new…

"What I'm doing?" he though out loud as one of his hands reached for her. Why did he care so much…

_"Is she worth it?"_ the strange voice had begun to resonate again. Before Levi could identify it, he was shocked to hear another voice inside his head, _his own voice_, answering back in a menacing growl.

"_You have no idea"_


	5. Chapter 5: Bearer of bad news

**Chapter 5: Bearer of bad news**

_December 30, 1899, London_

"Thanks, I will make sure he gets it" the teenager smiled to the deliver and gave a polite reverence before closing the door.

The cold air of the capital now was blocked from entering the small apartment. Christmas had just passed and, surprise to no one, only one person had received a gift from the man who owned the small floor. It was a small book about accountability that he had received in the trading company, but it was a gift from him no less. And now that person was carrying a letter to her master, a letter she knew already that he was going to destroy in the fire of a candle.

It had been three years since Levi had brought Petra's small family, among other servants, to live with him as he worked his way up through the corrupt coin officers and merchants of the capital.

During his stay at London, and despite his young age, he had managed to seal some minor deals with traders who were stationed in the British India, although his rash treatment of his superiors had earned him cuts on his monetary gains. Not to mention he had already established himself as a person who wouldn't do personal favors in the work when he refused to negotiate with a personal friend of his father and ditched him in favor of a rival, yet much better positioned, trader in Liverpool.

This reputation had earned him some angry letters, both from his parents and from his superiors, whom just couldn't fire him due to his ability to deal with the younger, rasher merchants that had enriched themselves with the industrial revolution.

Petra had seen the anger of the older officers in the letters the she received nearly every morning. And she would deliver them with his coffee.

Today was no different. This time the letter came from home and she kind of knew what it was about. During the last year, every time she delivered a letter from the master's parents, she would later hear Levi complaining about the apparent unhappiness of arranged engagements or the "airheads" that their friends had for daughters.

A part of the girl was slightly upset that he would use such terms when talking about a lady, but another part of her brain, a part that she couldn't comprehend, was slightly relieved every time she heard Levi ditch away the pressures of his parents.

She found him inside the small room he had taken as an office, absorbed into the letters he got from merchants in India and Hong Kong. Petra knocked on the door and got him to direct his gaze to her.

Levi saw her carrying a small tray with coffee and a piece of toasted bread smeared with a small amount of honey. He had always asked for the same meal at morning and, as a result, Petra had ended up carrying the scent of honey and fresh brewed coffee on her clothes.

Levi then noticed that there was also a piece of paper along with his breakfast. As Petra laid the tray on his desk, he recognized the wax seal.

"They just couldn't let me have a quiet new year's eve, right?" he asked while taking a sip of his coffee. After setting the cup down, he took the letter and handled it to Petra without even opening it. "Could you get rid of this for me?"

Petra was a bit surprised at the petition, she knew her master didn't want to answer to his parents, but at least he used to read the contents of their messages.

"Are you sure?" she said, gently putting the piece of paper back in the tray, since she knew how picky Levi could be regarding physical contact

"Absolutely" he turned his attention back to the desk "Have you planned the New Year's dinner?"

Petra frowned a little when she sensed Levi's hurry for changing the subject of the conversation, but she knew that it would be futile to insist.

"I haven't" she breathed out, "I'm getting some suggestions from the neighbors, but they seem to be expending a little too much this time around"

"It's the last day of the century, so some of them feel like it's the end of the world. It's still stupid though" Levi answered, occasionally stopping to take a bite from his toast.

Petra looked at him with slight sadness. Like Levi, she usually disliked spending too much during festivities but she could appreciate the effort that people put into celebrating the New Year.

"I like to think otherwise" she answered firmly. Levi's eyes peeked at her. His gaze was asking for an explanation.

Petra cleared her throat when she noticed the questioning look in her master's eyes. "I think they see the new century as a new beginning; a place when they can start from scratch"

"I see" he shifted on his chair so he was now facing her directly "What about you?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you looking to start something?" his posture on the chair was relaxed, but Petra could notice in Levi's eyes that he really was curious about her answer.

"No" she sighed, but then she took a deep breath and continued while sporting a warm smile "I want to remain here working for you, Master" she finished while adding a softer tone to the title she used when addressing Levi.

The man remained silent for a moment, but Petra knew him enough to be certain that he was pondering about what she just said. Finally he shifted again on his chair so he was facing his desk again.

"You can leave the letter, I'll read it later"

…..

Levi remained in his office the entire morning; deliberately focusing on the letters he got from his business partners in order to ignore the missive from his parents. He was used to receiving angry complaints about his business tactics, but during the last months the contents had changed for something much more annoying.

It all started at spring, when a letter from his mother begun to talk about the daughter of a friend that had come to have tea with the family. Levi did not know what to make out of that annotation until he got to a line that made his head feel heavy with frustration:

_"…and then I thought that she could be a perfect housewife…"_

Right, like he seemed like a person who could carry a marriage and tend to a high born lady's whims.

Levi decided to ignore the constant pressures of his parents, up until now.

When Petra appeared with the letter, he immediately thought of getting rid of it without even reading the contents, but later decided to keep it in order to not to upset her. He noticed the slight sadness in her eyes when he asked her to get rid of the dammed paper. But after their short talk he decided to spare her from getting rid of it and doing it himself once he finished.

He was slightly amused by the girl's capacity of remaining sweet and gentle after spending three years in that nest of vipers, although he kind of needed her optimism, otherwise the gloominess of London would have drove him to insanity long ago.

The combined scent of coffee and honey still lingered in the air and he inhaled deeply, taking it in.

_"I want to remain here working for you, Master"_

He rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration; there was that dammed title again.

He tried to relax in his chair. The annoyance that he got from being called like that still remained intact, in fact very little things changed at all during the last three years.

_"No"_ his mind spat back _"Petra has changed, and you know that"_

In a way it was truth, she was now an adolescent. Still petite, but anyone who had seen her taking care of cleaning and organizing holiday meals by herself would be crazy to call her frail, and despite the fact that Levi had only seen her naked once, when she was two years old and he childishly tried to bath her, he knew that her black maid dress hid a solid body, hardened by the domestic work and the occasional fencing she practiced with him.

Then the letter appeared again in the corner of his mind; it was still on his desk, next to the now empty cup of coffee. He brought it to his face, ripping the wax seal open and recognizing his mother's curvy calligraphy.

"I guess it's going to be the same as always"

He was_ wrong_

_…._

After Petra finished with her morning duties, she went to check in Levi to see if he was done with his paperwork. She found the office empty, except for the letters that he had neatly organized on his desk and the tray that she had left earlier.

She thought of calling for him first, but she knew that Levi would want her to prioritize cleaning. So, with a heavy face, she lifted the tray and carried it to the kitchen.

When she reached the sink, she hurried and placed the dishes in the murky water. However, as she settled the tray down, Petra noticed a crumbled piece of paper on it.

Levi wasn't the type of person who would leave papers lying around like that, since he would normally burn those letters after reading them.

Petra was slightly worried. She picked the piece of paper from the tray and carefully starched it so she wouldn't tear it by accident. Along the crumbled lines, she could recognize the writing of Levi's mother on it.

_Dear son:_

I would be contacting you to wish you the best in the upcoming new century and, in a way, the _thing I'm about to address in this letter is here because I have the best intentions towards you and I want you to become a distinguished man in the social sphere of London._

_I know you're going to hate me for doing this, but since you haven't even bothered to answer my letters, I had no other choice._

_You already know this, but many of our friend's sons and daughters have established themselves in the capital and I took the liberty to ask them to keep an eye on you, and I don't like what I've been hearing._

_According to the servants of these people, you spend nearly all of your free time near that servant girl, and you **know** who I'm talking about._

_I thought that you had a sisterly affection for that girl, but now I'm hearing that she's the only person you ever give Christmas presents for._

_When have you ever give presents to anyone? Even we never receive anything from you in the holydays._

_I know that I have invaded your privacy, and I know that I just gave you another reason to not answer back. But I'm doing this for your own good. I'm asking you to go out and join the rest of society._

_And please get that girl out of your personal service. The last thing I want to receive from our friend's sons is that she's with child, **and I will know that it's yours.**_

_May you have a happy and prosperous new year…._


	6. Chapter 6: In the Haze of Winter

**Chapter 6: In the haze of winter**

The cold wind carried snowflakes towards Levi's face. The tiny, sharp crystals were grazing his skin and causing a slightly reddish tone to appear beneath his eyes.

The gray orbs now were unfocused as his feet carried him blindly through the snow covered street. The only images that his mind processed now were the curvy letters that he had read that morning. A curvy calligraphy that accused a scenario that had never crossed his mind before, but now it was the center of the storm that had been unleashed inside him.

He barely registered the change of temperature as he crossed a pair of doors that led him to a brightly illuminated room. Levi's mind caught a glimpse of auburn hair at the corner of the room. As he got closer, his nose began to react to the smell of stale alcohol and cheap perfume. But he wasn't paying much attention to that. Levi's mouth soon was filled with the stinging taste of gin.

The images and sounds of the place began to become fuzzy. The laughter of men and women overlapped with the smell of wine and whiskey. And soon they were joined by the scent of chamomile and the moans of a young girl.

In the middle of the alcohol induced haze, one image remained on his mind. Even as his body succumbed to the bittersweet taste of the woman beneath him, behind his closed lids he could see a very different picture.

_A living room lightened by the summer sunshine, a rocking chair in the middle. The sound of gentle humming and the quiet whimpers that came from the bundle that was tightly wrapped in Petra's arms filled the place…_

…..

_December 31 1899, morning_

Petra paced back and forth through the entrance hall. It seemed that sooner or later she would leave a mark in the wooden floor. The entire night had gone by and she still had no news from Levi. After reading the missive from his mother, she burned the offending paper and immediately set herself in finding her boss, wanting something, _anything_ that could ease the bother that his mother's words had caused on her.

She didn't know for how long she stared at the accusation made in paper. A lot of questions clashed in her mind all at once when she read the words that predicted a scenario that had never crossed her mind.

_ "She thinks that there's something inappropriate between us"_

She swallowed hard at the next set of questions

_"Does she think that the Master wants me in that way?"_

_"Does she think that **I want him** in that way?"_

She leaned back in a nearby wall as she remembered the inner turmoil that started the day before, and that only got bigger as her Master didn't return home for the rest of the day.

"Honey?"

Petra's eyes snapped open. Her senses were in overdrive, as she had placed herself in permanent alert since she noticed that Levi wasn't returning home.

The first thing she saw was the startled face of her mother; she was carrying a tray and Petra's nose managed to identify the scent of red tea in the middle of her alerted state.

Petra saw the concern in her mother's face, but it took her a moment to acknowledge it as a sign that she needed to calm down a little. She brought her hands to her face, rubbing her tired eyes. She really felt the weight of not having any type of rest, physical or emotional, for over a day.

"I..umph…mom…I" the girl found herself tongue tied when she tried to articulate a response to the older woman's questioning look. She wanted to lie and tell her that she was okay, that it was only the lack of sleep that got her into this state, but the storm inside her brain wouldn't allow the words to make it out of her throat.

"Easy there" her mother placed the tray in a nearby table and brought her hands to the teen's cheeks, feeling the cold skin. "I know you're worried". Petra felt the warm thumbs rubbing the contours of her face, easing some of the discomfort.

"Your father has been searching for him the entire morning, he will show up"

Petra only gave a weak nod. The action seemed to upset her mother, since the next thing she felt was her mother giving her a pinch in one of her cheeks, forcing her eyes open.

"Petra…" the woman seemed to hesitate for a moment, a slight trembling in her gaze told Petra that her mother wasn't sure about what she was going to talk about.

"Listen sweetie, ever since we arrived at London, you have started to take care of organizing the tasks of the house, and I couldn't be more proud of you. You practically run this place as if it were your own and give orders with a strength that I wish I had when I was your age"

Petra felt a slight burn in her cheeks, she certainly wasn't expecting those words, but the deep breath that her mother took right after told her that the next set of words wouldn't be so pleasant.

"However…"

_"Of course_", Petra thought

"A lot of the servants in the neighboring houses have started to say that you're acting less like an employ and more like a housewife"

Petra's mind stood in silence, the last word echoing inside her head over and over. Then all of a sudden, another echo began to resonate at the same time.

_"I don't think you're the right age for this, sweetie"_

Petra shook her head in confusion. She could recognize a male voice in those words, and it evoked a sense of familiarity in her, but she couldn't pinpoint when or where she heard that.

"Are you listening to me?"

Petra was brought back from her short trance.

"I know that you probably don't understand what I'm telling you, and you likely won't until you grow up some more but I think that you are starting to see Master Levi….differently"

Her mother had pretty much blurted out the last word without much care and, just as she predicted, Petra couldn't understand what she meant by that, until she remembered the letter.

"W-Wait" Petra felt her back pressing more against the wall. She felt cornered. "You think that I _want him_?"

_Has she talked with his mother as well?_

The older woman seemed surprised by the teen's response. For Petra it seemed that she wasn't expecting her 15 year old to understand the content and weight of that accusation.

The two women just stood there, quiet. Petra felt more and more anxious as the seconds passed by.

"What do you think of him?"

Petra flinched, not ready for her mother to make the first move, but it was too late now. She couldn't keep acting like a lost child. If she could act like a grown person in front of Levi, why couldn't she do it with her mother?

She steadied herself on her feet, straightened her shoulders and, after taking a deep breath, she answered.

"I think he's a wonderful person and I trust him with all my heart and I know he trusts me in the same way, yet I don't know if I want him in any other way, or if he does want anything from me that he doesn't have already"

Her mother seemed startled for a moment, and Petra felt a slight surge of pride at herself. She managed to be completely honest about herself, even when she still felt the confusion of the current situation.

Petra saw her other giving a seemingly relieved sigh before reaching for her face again.

"As long as you don't know, don't do anything stupid, okay? We're perfectly happy right now"

Petra nodded confidently. She wouldn't risk the peace of her family, nor her own, because of something she didn't understand.

Her moment, however, was soon interrupted when both women were hit by a freezing blast of wind. Petra turned her head around to see the door open and two men coming through the snowy veil of the morning.

Petra instantly recognized the broad form of her father. She was about to ask him if he was successful in his search, but before the words reached her tongue, her eyes fell upon the body that was literally hanging from the older man's shoulder.

"Ma-Master Levi!"


End file.
